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Another Reason To Abhor HOA's


Cypress Sun

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Home Owners Associations should be prevented from this sort of thing.

 

They MIGHT have some purpose, but mostly, they are an overbearing annoyance that should be strictly and severely limited in scope.

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I live in an old part of town, leafy streets and such. No rules, no HOAs, no covenants; you can paint your house the color you want, etc. Freedom.

 

It's always been hard for me to understand why people want those rule-ridden suburban developments, but they do. Then they get a slate of officious small-time authoritarians interfering with their daily lives.

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2 minutes ago, Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619 said:

always been hard for me to understand why people want those rule-ridden suburban developments, but they do.

 

Because it's what they can afford. 

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In good situations the purpose is simply to maintain certain standards of care for houses and property.  In bad ones they take their power to enforce what they believe is right to the point that free speech is eliminated.  There are certainly rural properties I would not care to live beside.

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37 minutes ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

Because it's what they can afford. 

 

I think it's more than that. Historically, with the development of the suburbs in the post-war era, restrictive covenants were touted; they were a selling point. No riff-raff; lawns always mowed, houses beige or gray, no noisy parties, and more. People wanted that. Or thought they did.

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I have lived in 2 HOA neighborhoods. We paid dues to one of them which was pretty much a waste of money for 19 years. The last year I was in that HOA neighborhood it was finally being managed properly. Covenants being enforced, properties regulations being upheld. Positive changes being made.

 

I now pay HOA dues in another neighborhood. This HOA is quite effective at the responsibilities of an HOA and very much keep the area in compliance to area covenants and local regulations. It's a nice change and very much helps keep unwanted property violations from occuring.

 

Yes, I'd rather live on 640 acres of woodland, secluded, with no neighbors and no HOAs but that just ain't the way it is.

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I once lived with my parents in a neighborhood that decided it needed an HOA. I mostly ignored their crap because I hadn’t agreed to any of it.  I had lived there for longer than any of ‘em. The house was there before any of them moved in and built.

 

We picked up an old Auburn automobile to be restored. It certainly didn’t look like much, but even back then, it was worth as much as most of those houses.  
 

Some of the officers of the HOA showed up at our door, demanding that we remove the car from the driveway. My dad and I answered the door and he lit into them like they were stealing cars. Dad was a cop and a former Air Force Warrant Officer.  They found out real quick what their rules and regulations were good for.

 

And we also had one of the nicest looking places in the neighborhood.

 

Years later, some of those snooty folks wanted us to help them find antique cars and the like.  Most of ‘em got “what for” again!!

 

 

 

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A few years ago my son was staying with his mom in an "exclusive, secure, gated community" with an HOA.

 

Three times while there their cars were broken into - so much for the security.

 

But the camel's back was broken when they received a notice that the "derelict old Mercedes automobile abandoned in their driveway" MUST be removed.

 

Abandoned?  It was the Kid's daily driver.  Derelict?  Really??   :huh:

 

 

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Before ya buy a house you are told if an hoa exists. 

 

You sign paperwork stating you read the covenants and will abide by them. 

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A friend of mine had a nice home in an HOA neighborhood. They sent him several letters saying that his car, I  which had advertising on it, could not be parked out of the garage or it would be towed. He ignored the letters. So they called a tow truck. 
The tow truck driver showed up, looked around for the offending car but didn’t see it. So he knocked on the door. 
“Where’s this car I’m supposed to tow?”, he asked my friend. Herb pointed to it. The driver laughed, shook his head, got in his truck and left.

The police car stayed in front of the house until Herb retired. :lol:

 

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I'm sure there are innumerable developments with covenants and HOAs where things go smoothly.

 

But there are a lot of counter-examples. I had a good friend who moved with her husband out of the city into a subdivision complete with cul-de-sac and restrictive covenants. They kept their city house and rented it out.

 

They were back in 3 years. It was all petty stuff. The committee didn't like how she did her roses in front. Her daughter's boyfriend's car was parked more than an hour. The president, who lived next door, criticized everything. One backyard barbeque was too loud one evening. These people were both professionals; good citizens and good neighbors.

 

They were very glad to come back to the city.

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We have an HOA in our new neighborhood. Been pretty good so far, but last year a couple of busybodies decided they wanted to try to make some changes. When the time for the meeting arrived there were about 40 people there to tell them to knock it off. One resigned on the spot and the other is not running again to be on the board this time.

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44 minutes ago, Buckshot Bear said:

I can just imagine the types that must want to get elected on these committees.

I spent years of my life in meetings - I go to even the Gun Club Meetings reluctantly, driven only by duty.

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2 hours ago, Buckshot Bear said:

I can just imagine the types that must want to get elected on these committees.

 

1 hour ago, Rip Snorter said:

I spent years of my life in meetings - I go to even the Gun Club Meetings reluctantly, driven only by duty.

Most of the people that want this duty seek it only because they have no authority in their own lives. They love the feeling it give them being able to tell other people what to do. 

A very few, will do it because they actually want a better neighborhood for themselves to live in. Sadly, they are few and far between, generally being driven off by the former, just not wanting to deal with the drama they bring. 

Personally, I would NEVER live in a neighborhood having a HOA. 

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13 hours ago, Texas Joker said:

Before ya buy a house you are told if an hoa exists. 

 

You sign paperwork stating you read the covenants and will abide by them. 

I have to reluctantly agree with this. If you know the rules and agree to them, them knowingly and willfully break them, regardless of the reason, then you are in the wrong. Does this rule stink? To high heaven! Is it mean spirited, disrespectful and petty? Of course. But is a rule that was acknowledged and accepted by the home buyer. 

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In my last neighborhood one of the covenants prohibited 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks being parked in people's driveway. It was a blue collar neighborhood. Obviously whoever wrote the covenant didn't understand what a 3/4 or 1 ton truck was or that 80% of the homes had these trucks. This covenant was never enforced. That would have not gone over well.

 

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19 hours ago, Texas Joker said:

Before ya buy a house you are told if an hoa exists. 

 

You sign paperwork stating you read the covenants and will abide by them. 

 

5 hours ago, Clay Mosby said:

I have to reluctantly agree with this. If you know the rules and agree to them, them knowingly and willfully break them, regardless of the reason, then you are in the wrong. Does this rule stink? To high heaven! Is it mean spirited, disrespectful and petty? Of course. But is a rule that was acknowledged and accepted by the home buyer. 


If you lived in the area before whatever new inhabitants decided to form their HOA, you are not obligated to abide by their rules.  
 

Those neighbors tried to force my folks and me to bow to their demands.  Didn’t go so well for them.  After the legal gymnastics, they were out their legal fees and were ordered to pay ours as well!  When we sold the property, we sold it without any restrictions and the HOA tried their BS again. 
 

Same outcome as before.  Last time I was down that way, I heard that the HOA had been desolved!

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My son bought a home and the HOA started in on things the previous owner had done. He got a set of the rules, talked it over with his neighbors and got elected to the HOA.  Two years later he got elected President.  Things are enforced if they are in the covenants and they have changed some of the covenants.

 

Everyone is happy because the new HOA directors do not make things up and everything is open to discussion and modification.

 

Even so, I would never accept an HOA.

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We have an HOA here, but there are good reasons for it.  We are outside the city limits in an un-incorporated area.  Each lot is at least 2.5 acres.  For the most part, they leave us alone.  The HOA doesn't get too excited about what color you paint your house or what kind of roof you have on it, as long as it's kept up.  Works for me.  If your yard becomes overgrown, you will get a warning.  I appreciate that as the house next to us is unoccupied and the yard frequently gets out of control. 

 

Where I appreciate it the most is in all manner of "pets".  This is deeded as a "equestrian community" so many owners have horses.  Great.  They also have barns and such to put them up at night etc.  We started running into problems when folks decided the rule also applied to goats, sheep and cows.  The county has restrictions on the amount of acreage you must have in order to properly keep livestock.  A couple of folks chose to ignore that and put a couple of cows in their horse pasture.  Additionally, some other folks who decided to keep goats, didn't think they needed a fence to keep them on their property.  Neighbors would come home and find goats chewing on their flowers, annoying their dogs and horses and generally being a nuisance.  We are in the process of fighting those battles now but I do appreciate having an HOA to help with those types of issues.  

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I have lived in 2 neighborhoods with HOAs. I did my research before buying and moving there. I actually went up to people’s doors and knocked and asked questions about the neighborhood and the HOA. 
In North Carolina the HOA dues of $50 a year were to pay for maintenance of the 2 neighborhood entrances. 
After living there about 2 years some dude with a Boston accent and a paddle of Mrs. Kravitz’s showed up in my garage while I was reloading ammo. The dude told me he was running for HOA President and that he thought I should know others might think my open garage door might be unsightly. What a maroon! 
I didn’t say anything. I just stared at him. He got uncomfortable and muttered something about the time and getting on with his canvassing. 
As he and his hens walked down my drive I very loudly told him that it would be a cold day in hell when Yankee scum like him would be in charge in Ivydale. I am pretty sure I heard “Harrumphs” from some of my neighbors. It was a pretty day…lots of folks outside…with their garages open…Man, that event still makes me chuckle. :lol:

 

In Oregon it was similar to the HOA in NC. Not a lot of enforcement and not really a need for enforcement of any kind. It was a great neighborhood full of great people. 

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14 hours ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

 


If you lived in the area before whatever new inhabitants decided to form their HOA, you are not obligated to abide by their rules.  
 

Those neighbors tried to force my folks and me to bow to their demands.  Didn’t go so well for them.  After the legal gymnastics, they were out their legal fees and were ordered to pay ours as well!  When we sold the property, we sold it without any restrictions and the HOA tried their BS again. 
 

Same outcome as before.  Last time I was down that way, I heard that the HOA had been desolved!

I also agree with you Blackwater. Reminds me of some folks that bought a house near a private airport. A year later they started a petition to shut down the airport. The judge threw it out, telling them you knew the airport was there when you bought the house. An airport that had been in existence for over 30 years. 

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2 hours ago, Clay Mosby said:

I also agree with you Blackwater. Reminds me of some folks that bought a house near a private airport. A year later they started a petition to shut down the airport. The judge threw it out, telling them you knew the airport was there when you bought the house. An airport that had been in existence for over 30 years. 

We recently had a group of people in a neighborhood adjacent to a local gun club try to shut it down. The neighborhood has been there about 8 years, the gun club was there before I was born. 
Fortunately they were not successful  

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So thankful I live in the middle of 190 acres. I do what I damn well want.

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2 hours ago, Eyesa Horg said:

So thankful I live in the middle of 190 acres. I do what I damn well want.

Good! Now either put your clothes on or go back inside! :lol:

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13 hours ago, Eyesa Horg said:

So thankful I live in the middle of 190 acres. I do what I damn well want.

 

I like city life, myself. In the old days, when they built neighborhoods, they just built houses, sidewalks, and streets. Back when, they didn't think of a neighborhood as a place where people's lives were to be controlled, beyond the laws that apply to all. So, we can do what we please, too, in our old city neighborhood.

 

It can backfire on people when they think they can control so much of their own lives, or that of their neighbors.

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1 minute ago, Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619 said:

 

I like city life, myself. In the old days, when they built neighborhoods, they just built houses, sidewalks, and streets. Back when, they didn't think of a neighborhood as a place where people's lives were to be controlled, beyond the laws that apply to all. So, we can do what we please, too, in our old city neighborhood.

 

It can backfire on people when they think they can control so much of their own lives, or that of their neighbors.

Neighborhoods were not administered, but generally self selected, Upper West Side, Yorkville, Harlem, Greenwich Village etc. etc. They generally were communities that worked.  Where they survive they will continue till they break.  I couldn't live in suburbia anymore, never mind a city.  Having no neighbor in sight rocks!

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there has been a "thin blue line" flag on my flagpole for nearly two years , i have a cop living across the street and a sheriff living down a couple blocks , come get it .................

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